


be a bright red rose come bursting the concrete

by sleeplessmiles



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Mentions of Canon Suicide Attempts, Original Character(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-28 20:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3867976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeplessmiles/pseuds/sleeplessmiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a reason nobody knows what became of Rose Ward. And when Grant Ward breaks free from SHIELD custody, becoming one of the most hunted men in the country, the team are about to find out exactly what that reason is.</p><p>What else are they meant to do when she turns up on their doorstep, injured and desperately seeking refuge?</p><p>[Canon-divergent after 2x06]</p>
            </blockquote>





	be a bright red rose come bursting the concrete

**Author's Note:**

  * For [serenitysea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenitysea/gifts).



> So!! This is now a thing!!
> 
> As mentioned, this goes AU after 2x06, however it disregards the public speech Christian made about his brother being Hydra. Blatantly. Let's just, pretend that didn't happen. For the sake of this story. Also, I have to say upfront that updates are potentially going to be all over the place, as I deal with real life stuff, and so I'll tag other relationships in the coming chapters as they become relevant. 
> 
> Last but certainly not least, this is dedicated to one and only Ali, because I love her a lot (and also because she harasses me about this fic daily).
> 
> Hope you enjoy!!!

 

Rose is just coming out of her Wednesday night soccer practice when it happens. Which makes sense, really – nothing important ever happens to her when she’s calm and collected, but get her all tired and sweaty and gross and BAM. Everything at once.

Classic.

She’s walking across the deserted parking lot, mentally running through the things she has to do before going out for dinner later – she’ll have to shower, clearly, but she should probably try to call work too, switch out her shift for tomorrow – when she begins to feel distinctly uncomfortable. Her steps falter. It’s not… she can’t see or hear anything amiss, exactly, but something’s clearly not right. 

Rose Ward has been in enough not-okay situations to know precisely what they feel like.

Slowing her pace a little more and slipping a searching hand into her bag, she weighs up her options. Her car’s close, but she isn’t sure she’d be able to get away quickly enough. And she doesn’t want a confrontation, mostly because she doesn’t _exactly_ know what she’s supposed to be doing, but –

Finally, her hand finds purchase on the object she’s been groping around for.

Her massive, illegal-as-fuck taser gun. 

There’s a sudden rustling in the bushes next to her, and in one swift movement ( _nice_ ), she’s pulled the taser out and training it vaguely on the spot where the sound came from. Belatedly, she brings up her other hand to rest at the base of the grip – because that’s how people hold them on the news and in movies, right?

And she’s nothing if not good at pretending she knows what the hell she’s doing in life.

‘Who’s there?’ Rose calls out, feeling distinctly like the dumb white girl stereotype in a horror movie. When there’s no answer, she almost rolls her eyes.

Whatever. Screw this. She is _so_ not going to die in a parking lot, of all places. Not after everything she’s been through. 

‘I’ve called the cops,’ she loudly informs the bushes. 

No answer.

‘So that’s the way you wanna play, huh?’ she mutters under her breath, before clearing her throat.

‘Yeah, that’s right! You bet your ass I did. In fact, they’re listening to this right now. And do you see this taser?’ She shakes it threateningly, ignoring the rapid jump of her pulse at her neck. ‘It’s technically _illegal_ in the States. Causes too much pain, apparently.’

Still no answer. Rose adjusts her grip on the taser, fingers trembling with the adrenaline rush.

‘So if I were you, I’d start booking it right about now.’

The bushes start rustling again, and her finger is terrifyingly close to squeezing the trigger when a familiar figure emerges from the garden bed. He’s wearing a stupid cap, and sporting a beard that is, frankly speaking, cringeworthy, but she’d know that sharp posture anywhere.

Stunned, she watches as he walks closer and regards her taser with an expression of utter horror.

‘Where on earth did you get – ’ Comprehension dawns upon his features, and he grits his teeth. ‘Thomas.’

Well. He’s not wrong.

But Rose can’t even find it in herself to dwell on that right now, not when her eldest brother – the eldest one who _matters_ , anyway – is standing in front of her for the first time in around two years. 

‘Grant?’ she asks in a tiny voice. The corners of his mouth creep upwards tiredly in response, and that’s apparently all she needs because then suddenly she’s launching herself at him, closing the distance between them and throwing her arms around his neck. He brings his arms up to squeeze her into a tight hug, which elicits a breathless, disbelieving laugh from her because it's  _him_. It's really him.After a while, he leans in to press a kiss to her temple, and Rose automatically recoils at the scratchiness of his whiskers. 

‘ _Blargh_ ,’ she complains, scrunching up her face. She pulls back to regard him properly, hands still on his biceps. ‘What’s with the sadness beard?’

He sighs, all long-suffering, and it’s so thoroughly the Grant she grew up with that she finds herself grinning inanely.

_Some things never change._

‘Rose.’

‘Actually,’ she continues, tilting her head and regarding him critically. ‘It’s more of an angsty beard, really. So. What’s with the noble beard of angst, big brother?’

He releases her fully, bringing up a hand to rub along his jaw.

‘Maybe I just like the style.’ 

Rose makes a _pfft_ sound. ‘You shouldn’t,’ she mutters.

‘I’ve been here for five minutes, alright? Cut me some slack.’ 

‘Hey, if I were commenting on your style, I’d mention the hat. Note how charitable I’m being here.’ At his disbelieving expression, she only grins. ‘Just saying. You could have at least had a shave.’

But it’s as though her very words have triggered something, because the smile suddenly fades from his face.

‘I can’t stay,’ he says.

Rose’s chest clenches. Of course it’s too good to be true. Of _course._

‘But…’

He’s grimacing at her, looking truly apologetic, and she swallows down everything she wants to say. All the objections. He doesn’t need it right now.

‘You just got here,’ is what she settles on.

‘When do you see your parents again?’ he asks, quickly changing the subject. _Fine._  Rose crinkles her nose a little before answering. 

‘I’m… going over for dinner tomorrow night, actually.’ She takes the opportunity to slip the taser back into her bag, hitching the whole thing further up her shoulder. ‘Why, you wanna come with?’

‘You need to cancel.’

Um, _wow._

‘Excuse me?’

He takes a step forward, raising a hand. ‘Rose, you need to listen to me.’

‘I need to cancel my perfectly okay plans just because you decided to show up for once?’

He winces at that.

‘C’mon, Grant,’ she admonishes, voice a little less harsh now. ‘Enough of what I _need_ to do. What’s really going on here?’

 _Why are you here_ , she wants to ask. _Why now? What’s changed?_

He glances around them briefly, supposedly to scan their surrounds.

‘Not here,’ he decides.

She juts out a hip, folding her arms.

(So it’s a little petulant. Sue her.)

‘Thought you said you can’t stay.’

‘Rose.’ 

She doesn’t answer right away, instead narrowing her eyes at him and chewing on her lip as she contemplates her options. There really aren’t that many. She’s hardly going to just leave him here. 

‘Alright,’ she relents, indicating at her car with her chin. ‘Hop in, we’ll go grab some coffee. I just have to cancel my date first.’

Even as she grabs her phone out to text her hapless date for the evening, out of the corner of her vision she sees Grant regard her in something like alarm. She rolls her eyes. 

God. What a big, predictable doofus.

‘With a guy?’ he asks casually, rounding the car to the passenger side. Rose quirks an eyebrow in response, still tapping away at her phone.

‘How very heteronormative of you, Grant.’ At his continued silence, she rolls her eyes again. ‘ _Yes,_ with a guy. But he’s no one.’

Grant raises his eyebrows but seems to ultimately decide against saying anything ( _wise move, big bro_ ), so she puts the keys into the ignition. She’s been driving for about a minute, trying to ignore the way he’s slumped down in his seat, angling his cap across his face and away from the window, when she decides to bring it up again.

Lighten the mood, and all that. 

‘Seriously though. What’s with the beard? Bad break-up?’

Grant opens his mouth to answer, then hesitates for a split-second. It’s a fatal pause, and it’s all Rose needs. She grins.

‘It _is_!’ she crows happily. ‘This is about a girl!’ 

He winces. ‘Not… entirely.’ 

‘Grant!’

‘It’s not important.’ 

‘Oh, I beg to differ.’

‘Rose,’ he growls, and she’s fully prepared to keep teasing – she really has missed this – but there’s suddenly a grave set to his jaw and darkness behind his gaze, so she just falls silent and focuses on the road instead. Grant sighs, adjusting his cap, before looking across at her.

‘You’ve been watching the news?’

She can’t help the incredulous face she makes at that. Seriously?

‘I have,’ she confirms. ‘I’ve also been brushing my teeth every morning and night, and – ’ 

‘Yeah yeah, okay. I deserved that.’ Out of the corner of her eye, she watches him rub a hand over his face tiredly. ‘So you’ve seen… SHIELD. Hydra.’

She frowns, unsure of where he’s going with this.

‘Yeah. Pretty fucked, huh.’

He huffs a bitter laugh. ‘You don’t know the half of it.’

‘This – wait. _Wait._ ’ Grant’s regarding her warily, something like a wince on his face. She gapes. ‘You’re SHIELD!’

‘I…’ he sighs. ‘Used to be, yes.’

Rose can’t even find it within herself to muster words for the longest time. God. Holy _shit_. Everything makes so much more sense now. Shaking her head, she rewards him with an impressed smirk.

‘Grant Douglas, you sly old dog!’

He ignores that, looking at her intently.

‘I’m going to tell you some coordinates now, and I need you to remember them.’

Despite his grave expression, she just can’t help herself – she laughs. ‘Wow. Went from zero to James Bond pretty quick there, big brother.’ 

‘Rosie, this is serious.’ 

(She has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling further at that; he slipped back to the childhood nickname without even realising.) 

‘Okay. Hit me.’ 

He rattles them off then, and she remains quiet for a few moments afterwards, mentally repeating them to herself. Once satisfied she’s got a handle on it, she nods, and she watches with interest as that seems to relax him, absurdly enough. He settles back into his seat more fully, although she can see that he’s still tense, still coiled tightly as though he’s ready to attack.

 _Hunted_ , Rose decides. He looks hunted. And while she’d noticed this in him the last time they saw each other, it had definitely been less pronounced back then. Frowning slightly, she chews at her bottom lip.

‘You’ve got a roommate?’ he asks after a brief silence, his tone nothing but conversational. Rose immediately perks up. 

‘I don’t!’ she replies cheerfully. ‘Wanna know why?’ 

He raises his eyebrows. ‘You annoyed them all too much?’ 

Gasping in mock offence, she takes a hand off the steering wheel to shove at him as best she can. He grins back, and some of the pressure seems to ease in her chest at the sight.

(He still knows how to smile, apparently. It’s not a lot, but it’s something.)

‘ _No_ , you idiot. I got a pretty hefty living allowance from my college,’ she informs him, pride seeping into her voice. She shrugs. ‘Kind of like a scholarship, I guess. I won it.’

The expression on his face softens into one of muted awe. ‘That’s… wow, Rose. That’s amazing.’

‘Thanks,’ she replies quietly. ‘I mean, it’s pretty great to have a whole apartment to myself, after having to share shitty dorms for so long.’

The second the words leave her mouth, however, Rose immediately wants to take them back. Grant’s gone all silent, and _fuck_.

Because what would he know about college dorms?

He never got that. He gave that up.

For her.

She cringes.

‘It’s good there’s no one else there,’ Grant says, sounding serious and focused now. Rose swallows around the lump in her throat. ‘You might have to leave quickly.’

And here it is, she realises – the reason for his visit, a hint at the darkness that’s been lingering at his edges all night. She blows out a measured breath, trying to hide the terrified wave that washes over her at his words. Flicking the turn signal, she softly clears her throat.

‘Am I in danger?’ 

The brief pause that follows her question does nothing to calm the sudden panic bubbling up in her stomach.

(Shit. _Shit._ )

‘I don’t know,’ he answers honestly, and that’s probably what scares her the most. Grant always knows. Grant always has a plan. Stopping at the lights, she turns to regard him more fully.

‘Are my parents in danger?’

‘I’ll take care of it.’ 

‘ _Grant._ ’

‘I will,’ he swears, with such hardened ferocity in his gaze that she feels herself inhaling sharply at the sight. She holds his eye contact for the longest time, seeking the reassurance it offers, before a sudden beeping from the car behind them has her tearing her eyes away and putting the car back into drive.

‘I know,’ she tells him eventually, voice soft.

Because she does. Honestly, he’s the reason why she even got out in the first place, why she’s been able to lead a relatively normal life, when her brothers have had to –

Rose grips the steering wheel a little tighter, swallowing those thoughts down along with the bitter taste of guilt on her tongue.

(Her own special brand of survivor’s guilt, according to her therapist.) 

‘Tell me the coordinates again,’ Grant says. So she recites them perfectly back at him, preening a little at the pride on his face.

They’re just turning into the parking lot of the 24 hour coffee place, both of them looking at the front of the building for any cameras, when Rose decides to try to get a bit more information out of him. 

‘What’s at the coordinates?’ she asks, her voice all innocence.

Grant hesitates for a long time before answering – so long, in fact, that she’s considering repeating the question.

But then, he finally replies. 

‘Safety.’

She considers that. ‘Like, a safehouse? Like in the movies?’

‘Better.’

Putting the car into park, she sits back in her seat. Then, she smirks, looking at him slyly.

‘Is it the girl?’

To her complete and utter delight, however, he only smirks right back. ‘How very heteronormative of you, Rosie.’

‘Ugh, shut up,’ she grins, relishing in his laugh as she grabs for her wallet. ‘So. How do you take your coffee these days, brother mine?’

 

 

-

-

 

 

Twenty minutes later, they’re sitting on the hood of her car at the highest point of town, sipping at their coffees and looking out over the city. Truthfully, this is more a Thomas activity than a Grant activity – she and Thomas tend drive up here when he does his whole _thing_ , sweeping into town without warning. So yeah, she’s usually here with her other brother.

But then again, she sees Thomas way more than she sees Grant.

Grant seems to just drop off the map completely for years on end. 

He’s been really good at avoiding any conversation about himself all night – classic Grant, really, telling her he’s SHIELD and then point blank refusing to discuss it – and keeping talk entirely focused on what she’s been doing, but now they’re sat in silence, letting the crisp night air settle in around them. 

It’s nice. She’s missed him. And she loves her life now, she does, but she’s really, really missed him. 

‘Was it bad?’ she asks, voice barely above a whisper but still feeling like an intrusion, like an interruption to the serene stillness of the night. At his quick look, she goes to elaborate. ‘When Hydra… was it bad?’ 

He doesn’t answer for a long time, only frowning up at the night sky. She wonders what he’s seeing up there, what he’s remembering, because she gets the feeling it’s not the stars. 

Eventually, Grant sighs.

‘Yeah,’ he breathes.

Rose rests her head on his shoulder.

 

 

-

-

 

 

When she finally returns – alone – to her apartment that night, the first thing Rose does is grab for her laptop and bring up a map of the state. She sits cross-legged on her bed for hours, working out all possible routes to the coordinates Grant gave her, mapping out potential escape paths. Chewing nervously on a thumbnail, she recites the coordinates under her breath every couple of minutes, determined to remember them.

 _Safety_ , he’d promised her. 

 _If anything happens, you run there and you don’t look back_ , he’d instructed.

 _We’re Wards. We **survive** , _he’d reminded her as they hugged goodbye.

Yeah.

She looks at the papers spread across her bed, marked out with maps and train timetables.

We survive. 

‘We survive,’ she whispers to the empty room. 

A week later, when she’s attacked in the middle of a public street in broad daylight; when she’s shot clean through the shoulder – from behind – as she’s fleeing; when she follows an almost incomprehensible route across the city on multiple trains, doubling back and changing direction countless times; when she hot-wires a car (thanks, Thomas; sorry, Grant); when she’s driving and driving and her mouth tastes like blood and her fingers are tingling and the road before her begins to waver –

When that happens, she remembers.

 _We’re Wards. We survive._  

The road ahead to SHIELD spins in her vision.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the Coldplay song, Charlie Brown.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!!


End file.
